Access to Renewable Energy  

California is a world leader when it comes to clean, emission-free renewable power. State law require utilities to generate 20 percent of energy supplies using renewable resources by the year 2010.  A recent executive order by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger raised that threshold to 33 percent in 2020.  Landmark greenhouse gas emission reduction legislation (AB 32) will require greenhouse gas emissions to be reduced to 1990 levels by 2020.

SDG&E is committed to helping California “go green” but needs new transmission lines like the Sunrise Powerlink to meet these aggressive clean power goals.

Currently, there are few power lines in California that connect the green energy supplies found in the state’s rural areas to population centers like San Diego. In fact, the California Energy Commission in a recent report said the lack of transmission lines is a key barrier to meeting the state’s renewable energy goals. That’s one reason why the California Energy Commission strongly supports the Sunrise Powerlink.

The future looks bright for renewable power. Vast supplies of solar, wind and geothermal energy are sitting untapped in eastern San Diego County and the sunny deserts of Imperial Valley. Together, these regions could become a leading producer of renewable power and help reduce polluting greenhouse gas emissions in California.

Solar

Yellow sun means green energy. And Southern California’s deserts have lots of sun and  massive solar energy potential.  But new power lines like the Sunrise Powerlink are needed in these areas. The line will connect to large solar farms planned for the Imperial Valley and help turn that yellow sun into clean, green power.

Stirling Energy Systems

Stirling Energy Systems’ (SES) proposed solar generating facility in the Imperial Valley will be one of the world’s largest solar power projects. The solar farm is on track to receive state and federal approvals the first quarter of 2010.

SES has contracts with SDG&E to deliver up to 900 megawatts of clean energy to San Diego, most of which will utilize the Sunrise Powerlink. The unique, high-efficiency SES SunCatcher solar dish continues to be the most effective technology to convert the sun’s heat into electricity. At the heart of the design is the Stirling engine that generates electricity from solar energy reflected by the dish’s mirrored surface. For more information about the technology, visit www.stirlingenergy.com.*

MMR Power Solutions

SDG&E has a 20-year contract with MMR Power Solutions, LLC, to purchase up to 49.4 megawatts of solar energy generated from solar trough technology – augmented by biomass – also to be located in the Imperial Valley.  Solar parabolic trough technology is a tried-and-true approach to generating electricity from the sun, having been in successful operation since the mid-1980s.

Geothermal

How is geothermal energy produced?

According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, the most common way of capturing the energy from geothermal energy sources is to tap into naturally occurring "hydrothermal convection" systems where cooler water seeps into Earth’s crust, is heated up, and then rises to the surface. When the superheated water is forced to the surface, the steam is captured and used to drive electric generators.

Geothermal has a long history in the Imperial Valley and could begin to play an even bigger role in California if new transmission lines are constructed. The California Energy Commission estimates that there is approximately 2000 megawatts of additional geothermal potential in the Imperial Valley near the Salton Sea. SDG&E has signed contracts for 60 megawatts of geothermal electricity that would be imported from the Imperial Valley via the Sunrise Powerlink.

Wind

Wind power already plays a small role in San Diego and more is on the way. The first wind energy project in San Diego County was built along the I-8 freeway on the Campo Indian Reservation in 2006. The 25 wind turbines generate 50 megawatts or enough electricity to power nearly 33,000 homes.

In June 2009, the Campo Band of Mission Indians of the Kumeyaay Nation, Invenergy and SDG&E jointly announced a plan to build on tribal lands a wind energy project capable of generating up to 160 megawatts of renewable power, or enough clean energy to power 104,000 homes. The additional capacity of the Sunrise Powerlink will help free up the existing Southwest Powerlink to carry this clean energy to San Diego.

 

*By clicking the link, you will leave www.sdge.com and transfer directly to the website of a third party provider which is not part of SDG&E. The Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy on that website will apply.